NCA Inside & Out

Congratulations to NCA’s 2016 Distinguished Scholar Inductees

July 12, 2016

Congratulations to this year’s Distinguished Scholar Inductees! The following scholars were selected by their peers for NCA’s highest honor. The award celebrates a lifetime of scholarly achievement in the study of human communication.

Patrice Buzzanell: Buzzanell was recocgnized for 30 years of leadership in the study of gender, feminist scholarship, and organizational communication, and has produced award-winning articles on mentoring, work-life balance, careers, and organizational identity. She is a Fellow of the International Communication Association and is the only professor of Communication at Purdue to be named a University Distinguished Professor. Buzzanell has produced more than 170 publications, including four co-edited books, 65 refereed articles, 81 book chapters, and 30 other publications. She is a current member of NCA’s Publications Board. For her ground-breaking work in gender, Professor Buzzanell has served as an ambassador for the discipline; she is exceptionally well-known in both national and international circles.

Donal Carbaugh: Carbaugh was recognized for more than 20 years as a leader in the study of culture, discourse, and language scholarship. He is the preeminent scholar of the ethnography of communication within the general Communication discipline, and especially in language and social interaction. Since 2007, Professor Carbaugh has developed a new approach to scholarship, “cultural discourse analysis,” which is providing the next generation of Communication scholars a framework for addressing important questions about culture, personhood, and communication. He has published nine books and edited collections, 56 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and 45 book chapters. Carbaugh’s work has shaped the discipline of Communication and has illustrated the value in exploring communicative aspects of relevant issues.

Jon F. Nussbaum: Nussbaum was recognized for his work in actively advancing scholarship in the areas of communication education, communication and aging, health communication, and organizational communication. His prolific work has brought new insight into the communicative behaviors of individuals as they move through different stages of their lifespans. Nussbaum is a Fulbright Research Scholar and a Fellow in the American Psychological Association’s Division of Adult Development and Aging. His contributions have appeared in 19 books and edited collections, 56 peer reviewed journals, 45 book chapters, and more than 150 competitively selected papers for presentation at conferences.

Sandi W. Smith: Smith was recognized for her 30 years of work as a leading scholar in health and interpersonal communication, especially in focusing on how messages and social norms influence health behaviors. She grounds her work in critical social issues including alcohol consumption, breast cancer screenings, and organ donations. She has produced more than 120 publications including an award-winning edited volume, 15 book chapters, and 88 peer-reviewed journal articles, which have appeared in the Communication discipline’s top journals as well as in important patient-oriented medical journals. Her work has skillfully integrated different parts of the Communication discipline including interpersonal communication, persuasion, and media effects.